Copyright vs. Consumers
Entertainment & Sports Lawyer, Vol. 21, No. 1, 2003
7 Pages Posted: 24 Mar 2010
Date Written: 2003
Abstract
From the beginning, copyright has been driven by subversive technology. The forerunners of today's copyright laws go back to the invention of the printing press, with its unprecedented potential for spreading heresy and rebellion. Within our century, too, technology has had a tendency to undermine the established order. But rather than government or the church, today it is the content industries that are threatened. Film, radio, photocopiers, analog tape recorders, videocassette recorders, digital audio tape, CD burners, MP3 players - all have produced handwringing and predictions of imminent doom. And technological change is accelerating, making content industries wish they could set back the technology clock. This article explores the challenges that content industries must overcome in today’s technological world, and how copyright law ought to change in order to provide a fair balance between the industries and consumers.
Keywords: Digital media, Copyright Act, downloading, infringement, Napster, consumer right to fair use
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